a celebration of unconventional adventures

Well, it’s been a little over 6 months since I last posted, and a little over 4 weeks since I returned to the states after a remarkable year abroad.

I used to think long-term travel was just something I needed to ‘get out of my system,’ or I would somehow feel content with carrying on with normality after finally doing so.

The biggest thing I’ve learned? None of that is the case.

All I’ve been able to think about since returning (with the exception of the solid 2 weeks I spent sleeping off jetlag and fatigue) is when can I do it again…

I feel no obligation to offer any sort of explanation as to why I’ve neglected posting for so long, other than this: life happens, and sometimes you just need to live. And nothing else.

There are so many stories I want to tell. I’m in the process of pondering the best possible method to share these stories with the world, and when I do, it’ll be my greatest accomplishment thus far.

Following my dreams is significantly harder than I could have ever imagined, but when I think of the alternative, I’m glad I took a chance to break free a year ago. Things are far from perfect, but at least I feel confident I’m on the right path.

One of the many glorious sunsets I witnessed while in Sydney, Australia

Although I’m not currently traipsing about internationally, much to my chagrin, I’m going to finally start posting about the destinations I visited since Thailand, which include places in every continent except Antarctica and South America.

As I sit here on the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand in my bikini at the water’s edge, staring out into the blazing sunset on the horizon, I can’t help but think… damn I’m lucky.

Favorite activities these days include wandering up and down the beach with my headphones on listening to Panic! At the Disco albums on repeat and watching local fishing boats drift by. I’ve given up on wearing shoes (I’m probably going to take them off anyway!). My tan lines are absolutely phenomenal.

Just a month ago I would have never imagined being in the position I’m in now; this bewildering, beautiful, blissful, miserable, chaotic, confusing position.

Even despite the amazing view, and even despite the incessant bug bites, I’ve never been so happy and so distressed at the same time in my life.

I have so much to be thankful for – here I am on a gorgeous tropical island right now, enjoying the warm, salty sea breeze in my hair and the sun on my skin, accompanied by the soothing sound of waves and rustling palm fronds. I have nothing to complain about.

Yet, how do I cope with this underlying longing sensation of just wanting to be wanted? I can choose to go anywhere in the world – but I’m not sure how to decide. It’s an incredibly awkward feeling being infatuated with a situation I have zero control over. I can’t get myself to cry because it all makes me too happy, but if I let elation consume me it’s quickly overcome by an aching sickness I can’t begin to describe.

Recent weeks included some of the best emotions I’ve ever experienced, as well as some of the most bizarre. Certain moments replay over and over in my mind, seeming more dreamlike than real.

I’ve particularly struggled with writing lately because I feel like so many other blogs out there focus on advice or various wise practicalities I’m too stubborn to try, because, well, being conventionally realistic and practical never got me anywhere. And if so, I can’t explain how.

I have no advice to give. If I wrote post after post about what my travels have really been like, methodically outlining my journey step-by-step, most people would cringe.

Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything (with the exception of some weird Couchsurfing experiences in Australia, but that’s a much different topic).

Hell, I’m living my freaking dream. I’ve never felt more alive. I don’t know if I’ve ever found myself more positively distracted by something in this way, and I only wish I could completely give into this feeling. There are far too many unknowns – the only thing I can do is choose to trust this won’t fade away.

But, sometimes you get a super weird Airbnb rental. Or just make a plain bad decision of where to spend two-and-a-half weeks.

In my case, both.

Understandably, it’s hard to know if you’ll like a place prior to visiting. I had numerous people tell me one week was far too long to spend in Langkawi, Malaysia, and that Penang was a totally appropriate for a more extended stay.

Honestly, I couldn’t disagree more, but that could also just be because Langkawi Island’s just more my ‘style’.

Even though by the end of my terrific week in Langkawi I felt excited to move onto the next destination, I can’t help but miss it. That could also be because the greater part of my time in Penang so far has been just… Weird.

I’ll start by saying the general ambiance of Penang Island is vastly different than Langkawi, where I found myself quite at home, perhaps because of its relaxed, beachy vibe reminiscent of Fiji.

Penang has struck me as much more ‘urban’ than Langkawi, teeming with high-rise condo buildings and massive hotels lining the beach (not unlike Surfers Paradise, Australia). Uncannily enough, Uber exists here in Penang (I’ve used it twice already – and it was bizarrely convenient).

My first five days were spent in the beachside town of Batu Ferringhi, located on the northeastern side of the island. I refuse to completely label the area as “sketch,” as there are some upscale, nice-looking beachfront resorts in the vicinity, but frankly, I was ready to get the hell out of there.

I stayed in what has to be one of the most horridly awkward Airbnb arrangements out there: a tiny room situated in a high-rise condominium complex overlooking the sea (I’ll admit, the views were outstanding). At first glance upon arrival, the building appeared lovely, until I couldn’t help but notice the inexplicably charred vehicle rusting away in the parking lot, not far from the main entrance. Well that’s odd.

Between that and the very creepy, unwarranted compliments from my Airbnb host in regards to my underwear while trying to do laundry that evening, I just wanted to go home.

Ah right, but I don’t technically have a home… This island was supposed to become my ‘home’ for the remainder of the month… Awesome…

Ultimately, that Airbnb experience spooked me enough to shorten my reservation at the Airbnb I’d booked in George Town, which turned out to be a fantastic idea – but also meant I’d have to figure out new plans for the remainder of my trip in Malaysia.

The nice, sweeping sea views from my first Airbnb arrangement in Penang

Despite having the new Airbnb unit entirely to myself (and even though it was in an old, historically charming hotel, which I normally love) it ended up not having many of the ‘vital’ amenities advertised… Such as basic wireless internet access… Which makes it exceedingly difficult if you’re trying to be productive or communicate with, well, anyone…

When it’s very very hot, I truly don’t mind a cold shower – in Fiji I actually learned to enjoy cold showers. However, when in a room equipped with a well functioning air conditioning system chronically set to a brisk 16 degrees Celsius, cold showers are not terribly pleasant in any way, shape or form.

The air conditioning in that unit worked so well, I soon realized my drinks became the same temperature kept both in and out of the mini-fridge.

In a strange way, as much as I’ve been complaining lately, the last couple weeks have really forced me to slow down a little. I’d forgotten how easy it is to fall into a routine, even if that routine is moving to a new location every few days.

Monotony, in my opinion – especially the monotony of merely living out the hours in an uncomfortable or miserable circumstance – makes life fly by too quickly; monotony allows entire precious days, weeks, months, or years of life to just slip by in the blink of an eye, offering nothing new or enticing to catch or keep the mind’s attention.

I recall months spent in my old apartment depressed, just sitting there, because that was easier than doing anything to feel better.

To be candid, I had hauntingly similar moments sitting alone in my Airbnb room this past week. There were times I felt sadly content sitting on my internet-less laptop while drowning my sorrows in overpriced beer and green tea Kit-Kats from the 7-11 downstairs, somewhat regretting my decision to migrate to a hostel days later. I’d have to pack my stuff up, drag it three whole blocks, and deal with the inconvenience of sharing personal space with people I don’t know.

No, it’s not a perfect situation – the locals residing across the street apparently enjoy setting off a variety of frightful pyrotechnics after dark, and my dorm bed is so stuffy and hot at night I’ve basically been having fever dreams. But, it’s been a much-needed change of pace.

I can’t just sit in bed doing nothing but eating Kit-Kats anymore. Not only am I fairly certain it’s technically against the hostel’s rules, all the chocolate would surely melt, and I would definitely suffocate. The only purpose that bed serves is being unconscious.

I guess my point is… It’s not Penang’s fault I’ve had a less than stellar experience. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I have no idea what to expect moving forward, either, moving onward into further, greater unknowns.

Penang very well could have been somewhere I’d desire creating a routine for myself; I’ve felt that way about several places I’ve visited. It just wasn’t. And that’s okay.

In particular, the ferry ride between Penang and Langkawi Island, Malaysia.

After spending a week on Malaysia’s Langkawi Island, I decided I’d travel via ferry over to the island of Penang. I’m completely aware that yes, arguably taking a plane would have been faster and not that much more expensive, but I’ve taken a lot of planes recently, and I was in the mood for a nautical adventure.

When disclosing my sea-travel plans over dinner one night to others at the hostel in Langkawi, however, I received an array of daunting responses – apparently this ferry ride was THE worst transport experience EVER:

“People just puking everywhere; well over half the boat was puking, I’d say. It was like a rollercoaster in slow motion. If you do go, make sure you sit in the back of the boat, otherwise you’ll vomit for SURE, even with medication for motion sickness… Really, it’s probably best you just look into taking a flight.”

This sounded worse than the treacherous and draining overnight 24-hour ferry trek between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, Fiji, which I’d purposely avoided during my time there.

One girl ranted for a solid five minutes about reportedly getting bedbugs after taking this ferry ride.

“Really?” I asked, “did they get into your luggage, or where?”

“No, I found one in my bra,” she responded, clearly distressed. “But it definitely came from that boat!”

“Lucky bedbug,” sneered one of the girl’s male friends seated at the table with us.

“Ughhhh oh my god, shut uppp!!”

*For the record – this was the same girl with the questionable story about a crocodile sighting earlier that same day, so in either case I figured I’d take whatever she said with a grain of salt…

Maybe I just got really lucky. Perhaps they had taken the ferry ride in the midst of a violent storm. Or, maybe the route from Penang to Langkawi endures significantly more turbulence than the route from Langkawi to Penang.

I don’t know.

I went into the journey expecting the absolute worst: sickness and filth everywhere; incessant vomiting; nothing but flea-ridden old mattresses to sit on; the dank essence of human anguish and despair lingering in the musty, unventilated air…

At check-in, I was given a slip of paper with my seat number – #41 – oh they give you an assigned seat? That’s nice. I prayed it was towards the back.

Instead, seat #41 was actually near the very front of the boat. This made me a smidge nervous. At least it was a window seat. It’ll be okay, this is why I didn’t eat much lunch today…

As soon the boat began to depart from the jetty, I couldn’t help but notice half the passengers begin to switch seats – in particular those situated near the front, migrating way towards the back. The cautious American couple previously seated in front of me, neck pillows in tow, seemed the most urgent.

Uh oh, perhaps they heard the same stories…

Suddenly the boat lurched forward, sending the bow upwards and then down with an adrenaline-surging WOOSH. My heart and stomach leaped into my chest for a millisecond. I held onto my seat for dear life. I would have closed my eyes, if it weren’t for the spectacular views out the window…

But then there was nothing. I’d been told this ferry felt like a haphazardous speed boat.

Is this the correct vessel?

I looked outside. Smooth, smooth seas, as far as the eye could see…

Maybe we just haven’t gotten far enough out yet, I thought to myself. The massive, vomit-inducing waves were in more remote areas, surely.

Still nothing.

“The Jungle Book” DVD began to play on a large flat screen TV up front. Some of the passengers lay down on entire rows to themselves and fell asleep.

A faint rumbling sound caught my attention. Oh no…

Alas, nope, no one was retching. Just somebody snoring in back, likely lulled into a deep, deep slumber by the boat’s gentle side-to-side rocking motion, which I’d barely noticed up until that point.

Was this seriously the same boat ride?

Between the movie and the excellent exterior scenery, my entertainment involved observing the drowsy man in the seat in front of me, who nodded off and on, snapping awake every few minutes after slumping down too far to the side. A reddish-brown insect causally climbed up over his shoulder onto the headrest in front of me.

Oh dear, I thought, is that the bedbug? From what I knew about bedbugs, this creature appeared a bit too big, but I felt disconcerted anyways. Until it flew away.

Bedbugs don’t fly, do they?

I’m still not entirely certain what that thing was, but due to my lack of bites, I’m going to trust it was not in fact a bedbug… Thank freaking goodness.

Apparently there was a party in the water at the George Town, Penang jetty… Balloons everywhere!

So yeah, by the end of three lackadaisical hours and two DVDs, I was ready to be off the boat. But overall? I thought it was a genuinely pleasant journey.

Would it likely have been much worse filled to capacity in hurricane-like conditions? No doubt.

I was fortunate enough to meet such a friend on my flight to Langkawi Island, Malaysia: Alberto from Barcelona, who served as an excellent adventure partner for exploring the island and all its wonders (apologies again, Alberto, for the child kicking your seat the entire trip…).

The night before embarking on our first island expedition, some British girls from Alberto’s hostel enlightened us over dinner about an apparent crocodile sighting earlier that day near the Seven Wells waterfalls, exclaiming “its tail was larger than this table, we swear!!”

After viewing their photo of said “crocodile,” I can safely conclude it was, in fact, likely a moderately-sized Malaysian monitor lizard.

I’d just been to Australia Zoo and seen Bindi Irwin’s crocodile show less than two weeks before, so I felt fairly skeptical of this story from the start. But, considering this poor girl had rushed herself to a medical clinic earlier that day to get antibiotics for a potentially fatal mosquito bite, I didn’t bother informing her otherwise.

I’ve always been trepidatious about traveling via motorbike, but Alberto seemed seasoned enough as a driver, and I will rarely say no to any offer to thoroughly explore an island. So, I hopped on board, trusting Alberto with my life and sincerely hoping I wouldn’t fall off.

Ultimately, I decided after surviving the third torrential flash rainstorm within thirty minutes, that things would turn out just fine – even despite the hordes of ferocious monkeys and “baby crocodiles” spotted both alive and flattened along the side of the road.

When this monkey yawned, it had enormous fangs…

One violent mini-rainstorm forced us to take cover under a shed adjacent to what appeared to be an exotic, secluded island community, not even initially realizing this was actually Oriental Village, boasting a variety of famed Langkawi Island tourist attractions such as SkyCab, SkyRex and Imaginarium, a “visual treat from start to finish” as touted by the Panorama Langkawi website.

Not exactly knowing what existed beyond the parking lot, thank heavens Alberto and I decided to wander inside once the rain stopped – as soon as we crossed over the ‘bridge of prosperity’ through what I’m guessing was the ‘river of whimsy,’ we found ourselves in some sort of kitschy amusement park, teeming with ads inviting us to “take a ride inside your mind and travel to the ends of your imagination” with “virtual and augmented reality”!

Oh my.

SkyCab, Langkawi’s own mountain gondola, loudly hummed in the background, adding an oddly disorienting ski resort-esque element to the already overstimulating environment as it ascended up the side of the peak into a looming cloud of mist.

If it hadn’t been for the copious flash monsoons that day, taking the SkyCab ride might have been a fun idea, as I’m sure the views from the top are incredible. But, no way were we going to pay 45 RM per person for scenic glimpses of a dark raincloud. Plus, after surveying the ticketing options at the “kiosk of happiness” (as I think it was aptly called), we learned there was no option to buy a ride for the SkyCab alone – no, the least expensive option also included a semi-mandatory stop at the SkyRex simulator, where guests were strongly encouraged to “Experience The Tense And Excitement Of The Real Life Adventure”.

This just did not seem necessary. No, not in the slightest.

We wandered around a bit more, debating whether or not to move onto the next point of interest, before noticing an intriguing sign: “BUNNY ZONE”

It was just what the sign described – a sizable fenced-off zone teeming with bunnies, tentatively interacting with visitors chasing them down for a selfie.

Just before walking off laughing, in particular from the creepily illustrated bunny-handling instructions, we noticed a very important phrase: free entrance.

Well then in that case, we obviously had to check this out!

In short, wandering Bunny Zone felt like entering a bizarre Easter extravaganza, complete with ample lovely pastel-colored flowers everywhere (albeit according to Alberto, the Easter Bunny thing isn’t at all prevalent in Spain, or probably elsewhere but the United States).

Some bunnies were enormous; large enough I’d refer to them as ‘rabbits’ rather than ‘bunnies’. The littlest baby bunnies remained in happily their cages next to their overflowing bowls of kibble. One bunny lay seemingly lifeless in the sun off to the side, flopped over in a disconcerting state of unconsciousness (rest assured – we made sure it was in fact breathing).

I couldn’t help but notice the majority of the bunnies appeared related to one another.

The bunnies would approach, tentatively, if you knelt down with a hand extended, perhaps sniffing for food, before hopping off to gnaw on a flower stalk, or to sniff other hands. They seemed to take a liking to Alberto much more than me.

This especially proved to be the case when I extended my hand toward what we determined was the cutest, most cuddly bunny in the whole park: a fuzzy white albino snuggled up under a blossoming tree, which didn’t hesitate advancing – but rather than giving me a quick nuzzle as expected, however, the creature BIT my middle finger before prancing off.

“OW! What the… What the hell!?? What do I do!? Should I get antibiotics? Do I go get a rabies shot? Does that thing have rabies? How can you tell?? Think I can just get by with a good douse of neosporin? What the damn hell…!?”

Langkawi is home to deadly crocodiles, monkeys with fangs, mighty eagles, bats, cockroaches, and a host of other welt-inducing creepy-crawlies, but what attacked me?

A darling little bunny.
Figures.

**For the record, my middle finger survived the bunny bite and is doing quite well – I appreciate all the kind words and concerns.

I’ve been adrift almost 3 solid months now (WEIRD!), and at this point I’m starting to realize what ‘travel essentials’ are actually, well, essential.

Not long ago I wrote a somewhat sarcastic post about some of my lesser-practical ‘essential’ items (including but not limited to my large TempurPedic pillow and constantly-exploding oversized jugs of Aveda shampoo) I’m happily dragging along with me.

While yes, that pillow has caused me a few issues in terms of my luggage weight and the shampoo bottles keep exploding in flight, arguably I *could* do without them (granted the one night I decided to try a hotel pillow I awoke the next day with awful neck cramps… I digress).

1. FLIGHT 001 4-in-1 Adapter. This little device is fabulous – it’s small, portable, and color-coded to make it simple for easily confused people (like me) to figure out what power adapter is required for what region. So far, this adapter has worked brilliantly with everything I’ve needed to charge – I also have a slightly more cumbersome adapter that doubles as a power converter, but really haven’t needed the conversion function.

2. Apricot and Argan Oils. I know these aren’t at all necessary for everyone, but as someone who often deals with very dry skin and hair, I’m VERY happy to have these with me!

3. Coconut Water Face Spray. Works great as a toner; works great if my face feels parched and merely needs a hydrating ‘pick-me-up’. Again, not necessary for everyone, but I certainly appreciate it!

4. Facial Cleansing Wipes. I enjoy having a clean face (don’t we all), and there are plenty of occasions I don’t have time to properly wash my face (such as when I’m running out the door at 4:00 am to catch an early-morning flight). Cetaphil is the only brand I’ve found that makes facial cleansing wipes that actually make my face feel genuinely clean and refreshed… Still prefer a good wash with my Clarisonic facial brush, but that can be difficult in a hurry!

5. Macadamia Oil Cream. To be honest, I just found this macadamia cream on sale in the check-out line at a Target store while trying to find some new lotion on my first day back in Australia, but I LOVE IT! Smells awesome, makes my skin incredibly soft, and the tub-like container conveniently doesn’t explode in my checked suitcase…

6. ALL Doctor Prescription Notes of Every Kind. This one is probably obvious, but I keep the original doctors’ notes and all documentation for every single medical prescription on me at ALL times, including optical prescriptions…

This was particularly handy when I decided to buy a new pair of eyeglasses my first day in Malaysia (to finally replace my old pair that’d been very broken for over a year…). I didn’t even have to bother with an eye exam – I had all the documents they needed regarding my vision on me, so my new glasses were ready within 20 minutes after purchasing the frames (and for the record, the price of my new frames PLUS the lenses cost less in Malaysia than the lousy rebate from my old vision insurance company, not to mention a fraction of the total cost back home… and in my opinion, the product I got here is significantly better quality)!

7. Wireless Headphones. Seriously, the wireless part is awesome… Nobody likes getting tangled up in cords and wires, especially when long hair is involved. But, when these headphones do inevitably run out of batteries, they come with a regular connecter cord (or whatever the proper name of that thing is…). Plus, the rose gold hue matches half my stuff!

8. Mini Portable Speaker. Again, the wireless part is awesome, but the sound quality on this one is surprisingly good too… I always love being able to play the music of my choice out loud in my hotel room (or wherever I’m staying), and this little mini blue speaker is small enough I can take it anywhere!

9. The ‘Rolls Royce’ of Eye Masks. I bought mine a few years ago at the airport right before a long-haul flight to Scandinavia, and it basically feels like a wonderful PILLOW on my face… All I remember is choosing to invest in the slightly nicer eye mask (versus one of those standard, er, flat ones) and I’m so glad I did – it blocks out virtually all light, meaning I can have sleep-worthy darkness no matter the time of day, and create a sense of privacy no matter the sleeping circumstance! To me, that’s priceless.

10. Multiple Notebooks, Journals, & Planners. Considering I’m a writer, this is hopefully self-explanatory… I take tons of notes on my iPhone too, but honestly it’s so much nicer being able to physically write down my random thoughts and ideas, as opposed to thumbing away on my partially-cracked touch screen while fighting an endless, infuriating silent battle with auto-correct…

Additionally, I’ve gotten in the habit of documenting my travel itinerary plans in numerous locations and forms – let’s just say it pays off to have hand-written hotel addresses and directions when the airport doesn’t have free wifi to access all the necessary info in my gmail account!

A month ago I was in Fiji, semi-freaking out about what exactly I was going to do next.

Seven days ago I was in Australia, just being rescued from the tawdriness that is Surfers Paradise, Queensland, another story I really ought to save for another time (this is why I want to write books – I have all these great stories, but they’re a little long-winded for blog posts!).

And now here I am in Kuala Lumpur, after spending just over 24 hours in Singapore, coming to the realization that I have a long, long journey ahead of me.

But I’m not complaining, really – this is exactly the kind of weirdness I’d like to have in my life.

Whenever I start to panic these days, I just think: okay, would I rather be where I am now, coping with the exhausting overstimulation of constantly adjusting to new places, or bored out of my mind and landlocked?

Right.

I’m acutely aware I have not posted much recently, in part because that bout of strep throat essentially drained me.

Also, for lack of better words, my trip to Australia was a bit of a hot mess.

To sum it up right now (because I have a great deal of exploring requiring my attention today), here are two very very important lessons I learned while in Australia (apart from being glad I carried along a hearty stash of azithromycin, among other things):

1. Bring my bikini everywhere. There were multiple occasions I wished I had my swimsuit on me but sadly didn’t, such as when I stumbled upon the awesome random man-made beach in South Bank, Brisbane and ended up doing an impromptu beach day in Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast (the latter of which did result in a noticeable sundress tan line).

Fortunately, I found a fantastic beer garden to hang out at (with free popcorn!) right by the beach in South Bank…

2. PLAN AHEAD, DAMNIT. I went into my almost-three weeks in Australia with virtually no plans, which according to some was a ‘very Australian thing to do’. While I see some value in this (because spontaneity is terrific, and arguably having zero plans is a lot less expensive), I’ve found having at least SOME sort of an idea what the hell I’m going to do with myself helps tremendously… Perhaps this is just a matter of personal preference, but I’m really not a fan of not knowing in advance where I’m going to sleep that night, or when approximately I’m moving from point A to B. I’m all for leaving ample room for flexibility though!

Even though I’ve been enjoying myself in Australia (apart from the strep throat), I haven’t stopped thinking about my incredible nine weeks spent volunteering in Fiji.

To provide some more context, my fellow globe-trotting friend Sarah of Enrichmentality has kindly written a fantastic guest post – I had the pleasure of getting to know Sarah and her husband Simon during our volunteer placement in Fiji, and they were actually there when Cyclone Winston hit the islands this past February.

Read on for Sarah’s harrowing retelling of her first-hand experience (and be sure to check out her website for excellent money-related knowledge!)

Earlier this year, we were in Fiji with family when Cyclone Winston struck. We were out in the Yasawas, staying at the wonderful Naqalia Lodge and enjoying a Fijian dinner by kerosene lantern light, when the resort manager handed us two weather reports – one out of the country’s capital, Suva, and one out of the nearest city, Nadi.

Each predicted a different path for the cyclone: one heading to Nadi, one heading to the Yasawas.

We had to make a choice – try to get on the evacuation ferry (which could be full by the time it got to us) and take our chances trying to find appropriate shelter on the mainland in Nadi.

Or, we could stay where we were, in the Yasawas, with the caveat that if Cyclone Winston did indeed hit Fiji and do a lot of damage (as it ultimately did), we could be stranded.

Deciding to take our chances with the boat, after a very rough ride, one injury, and a broken camera, we were back on the mainland, thanks to the extraordinarily skillful work of the various resort workers who managed to transfer terrified passengers from tiny boats onto the ferry in extremely choppy water.

Note the waves coming up over the side of the boat – this is the third floor deck!

We managed to find shelter in a dorm room at the hotel we had previously been staying at, and after a terribly windy night, awoke to debris everywhere. Several days later, when we could get our hands on a newspaper, we read a lot of tragic stories of lives and homes and livelihoods lost.

But the pages of the Fiji Times were also filled with messages of support and hope and thanks – for the local and international donations and aid. From our room overlooking the airport, we watched supply-carrying government and military aircraft landing on a runway lit by the headlights of cars, since the power was still out.

We were so grateful for the running water, the food, and the roof over our heads that we enjoyed.

We felt extraordinarily lucky – as we should every day.

We made a few donations and did what we could to help out with the clean up, trying to relive some pressure from the staff who had their own homes and families to worry about. But we wanted to be out helping in the worst affected areas – although we didn’t have any structure to offer a hand through, and we weren’t keen to be wandering around offering help when the country was under a curfew and emergency services were already pushed to their limits.

At that time, we decided that we’d like to go back and help out as soon as we were free of the constraints of our jobs, and so, two days after my final work commitment, we boarded a plane back to Fiji to begin our volunteering experience.

Seven months on, much of Fiji looks restored to its idyllic reputation. Although there remains much work to be done, and your support is still needed, Fiji remains a beautiful place to visit.

My first full days in Australia resulted in significantly more culture shock than expected.

For some reason odd reason, I chose to spend my first few hours after landing in Brisbane at the massive Indooroopilly Shopping Centre (which admittedly was a questionable choice), where it took just about every ounce of energy in me not to giggle hysterically and/or run into random passers-by as I dumbfoundedly stumbled through the mall.

I found myself initially thinking there were far too many shop and restaurant options. And why does this mall have freaking chandeliers; don’t they know there are children out there who need new classrooms built and island communities desperately in need of cyclone repair!?

Mild yet striking discrepancies between certain retail stores here in Australia and those back in the States, such as a simple change of font in the ‘Target’ logo, sent me into a remarkably bewildered temperament.

Relatively speaking, Brisbane isn’t even that big of a metropolitan area (although at least twice the size of my home city of Denver), but enormously urban compared to pretty much everything in Fiji.

Albeit being a very very nice, frankly, Indooroopilly felt uncomfortably suburban.

Prior to Fiji, I lived in the city, where no one really seems to care what you do so long as you don’t bother anyone else. Folks in Indooroopilly did seem to take slight notice to my disoriented nature (not at all suggesting that suburban-dwellers are cold-hearted, but perhaps just a tad overly observant!).

Finally, I decided all I could do was sit in the corner of the mall’s Pig ‘N’ Whistle restaurant (which I later found out is a chain), where I marveled at the immense beer selection on tap and ultimately ended up quite tipsy embarrassingly early in the evening. It was all I could handle before Uber-ing back to my Airbnb for a long, long sleep.

Hello all – apologies on the lack of activity on here in the past week. Just as I started to overcome my culture shock from arriving in Australia a little over a week ago, I came down with a NASTY case of strep throat that essentially rendered me bedridden the past 6 days. If it didn’t feel so lame, I’d probably still be in bed right now (I’m not in Australia to lie around in bed all day, after all!).

Because my head was throbbing incessantly (not to mention a variety of other unpleasant physical problems), I let myself take a week off from writing and staring at a screen for extended periods at a time.

That didn’t stop me from writing something though…

I’ve found terrible, terrible moments and/or illnesses often inspire some pretty good bad poetry (the only kind of poetry I excel at).

So, I present to you…

STREP THROAT REALNESS:

Pain Oh, the pain So severe My lymph nodes Can be seen quite clear Oh, so much pain in my throat I’m really not one to gloat But my tonsils appear exemplary Compared to WebMD’s symptom image dictionary Damn you, streptococcal You make it impossible to swallow more than a spoon-full I could go on and on in prose About the fluids spilling from my nose Caused by the dis-functioning in my mouth Let’s just say I’ve been drooling more, since heading south When will I recover? Not for 6-10 days, I gather Fingers crossed the fever’s gone I don’t like tossing and turning until the break of dawn The worst part of having strep throat yet? It’s just so inconvenient…

Earl Grey Tea – my best friend for the past week

I’ll save the other really good bad poem I wrote a few years ago entitled “My Hangover” for another occasion…